Introduction

Voyager has recently released multiple items for super-detail the booming LMTV family from Trumpeter. In this 1st part, I will review their primary set namely the basic set for the M1078. I already reviewed the donor kit fives year ago and the fully story can be seen via the link at the end of this review.

The LMTV has drawn the attention from many different AM suppliers and examples of these items can be found in the review pages here at Armorama

Review

The kit is well packaged inside the famous square shape box from Voyager. All PE frets are protected from damages during shipping and handling.
This kit is a multimedia one, of course PE is present but also the complete antenna base with resin parts, spring and metal parts. A chain is provided for securing the spare wheel. 9 PE frets are the backbone of the kit.

One question to answer: is this kit worth the money? For PE kits, the aim of such items is to correct the lack of accuracy of the plastic kit and improve it details.
From my experience with the donor kit, I can summarize the major points of improvements, which are Cabin interior including the opening of the door and Flat bed details.
So, are they point perfectly corrected by Voyager?

The cabin is of course the primary point of interest and surprisingly the technical solution provided by Voyager is courageous: cut open the door. Yes, it is not a typo, you need to cut off both doors from the cabin single piece. Well, there is no room for failure during this operation since the cut need to be properly done on the cabin side as well as the door side since you will reuse them afterward. I strongly believe that approach is risky to do, I have never seen it done before.
Well assuming you did it perfectly, and then you are in business, you should be able to use your Voyager kit flawlessly.
The Interior of the doors are nicely detailed with all glass handles, door handle, and equipment bag, though some parts are glued onto the door panel. The dashboard is fully revitalised by Voyager from top to bottom. New dials are provided; the complete AC system is detailed with great air outlet. The CTIS panel system not shown by Trumpeter is provided here with the protection cage on top of it. Both storage boxes behind the seats are nicely detailed and you can even open them as they are provided with interior detail. The cherry on the cake is the complete seatbelts set are provided for the driver and passengers.
The exterior of the cabin also receives some attention with a complete set of casing for the reflective light. Thinner wiper blades are also provided; new mirror supports as well as complete new antenna supports (one pair) are provided to complete the super detailing of the cabin outside. A PE logo of Stevenson & Stewart with fine engraving is also provided. Footboards are also supplied in PE with open small dots which are better than the plastic ones. The rear lamp clusters are totally reworked in PE as well as new rear mud flaps. This is a great addition since the lamp clusters were really oversized. The fuel tank receives a complete support system in PE, special care needed while removing the plastics straps. The same level of attention is paid to the CTIS system, air tanks as well as the small box omitted by Trumpeter is provided within the set.

The flat bed is also detailed and this starts with the complete rebuild of the supporting beams underneath the flatbed. All beams, supports are done in PE. Air filter support beam as well is totally detailed in PE. The spare wheel mechanism is extensively detailed with the hydraulic, securing straps and chain. This device can be displayed in an open position (dismounting the wheel) or in a closed position while driving. The top of the flat bed is detailed in the last step of this kit, all seats are rebuilt in PE, while their back parts are cut off the main frame. All of the walls of the flatbed can be opened including the rear door. This is an outstanding addition from Voyager.

Conclusion

Some work is required on the donor kit in order to fully enjoy this kit. The cabin and flatbed can be fully opened up that gives provides that something extra to the truck. So yes this kit is worth the money as it cover all aspects that were not really developed by Trumpeter.

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